With car running and belt squealing, if I spray wd40 on the tensioner pulley, the belt hops over a little bit and squealing stops. I'd imaging this means the tensioner pulley is out of alignment, but I don't see any way to adjust the alignment of any pulleys. I tried searching, but can't figure out how to align pulleys. I went ahead and ordered a Dorman automatic tensioner, so I'll be installing that soon...

I ordered part no 419-201 from amazon... I already put fresh pulleys on tensioner and ilder (waste on the tensioner I guess...) and a fresh dayco belt, so after this it should be good to go. It looks like the tensioner pulley is skewed a lil bit, when I spray wd40 it hops over a bit and quiets down, but goes back closer to the edge as the wd40 dissipates and the squeaking comes back.

Are you sure everything is tightened properly on the tensioner and idler?? Take off and clean behind it and check for proper install from previous Owner>?
Not much of a Dorman fan but this part should be ok for you!!

Shoot, I replaced both pulleys and belt already. Noise went away for about a day, then came back. I've been spraying wd on it to quiet it lately, but want to fix it permanently. Looks like the tensioner pulley is slightly off alignment horizontally. Maybe the arm has just bent a bit over the 120k miles...? Dunno.
Everything is clean and tight. I pulled it apart last night, cleaned everything with degreaser, rinsed with water, dried, and put a light coat of white lithium grease on the pivot points. Noise was louder than before, but there was no wd on the smooth side of the pulley anymore...

Have had the same problem as TaurusSE98. Replaced the idler & tensioner pulleys-squeak came back. Replaced belt with a Dayco-squeak still there. Bought a Motorcraft tensioner and installed-squeak still there. Per other postings on this site--bought a Gatorback belt at Goodyear ($56)-and squeak stopped. Solved the problem, but deep down I feel I'm just covering up a problem that's going to involve replacing the water pump--but it doesn't leak and car never overheats. When belt was squeaking, just a teeny squirt of WD-40 would stop it for a few minutes.

P.S.: I have 2002 3.0L Vulcan--Goodyear part number for the Gatorback is: 4060855. When I searched online for the belt, Goodyear would give lengths of the belts in inches, but wouldn't let you plug in your engine type and get a part number. Local Goodyear guy finally coughed up the part number when I pressed him, but confirmed what I said.

Had anything done to the steering pump? That pulley is a slide on-pressure fit to the shaft and can be out. The shaft should be flush with the outer edge of the pulley. Can feel it with your finger.
I wouldn't use WD-40. A bar of bath soap rubbed (don't catch your finger or hand) on the running belt surfaces lasts a good long time and doesn't deteriorate rubber.

Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the Taurus Car Club of America : Ford Taurus Forum forums, you must first register.
Please enter your desired user name, your email address and other required details in the form below.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

My Taurus

Please add some info about your car including year, trim level and engine. (This is a required field)

Chapter

Please choose your Regional Chapter

Log-in

User Name

Remember Me?

Password

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.

The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.

AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.